The long-term health and well-being of adolescents globally can only be achieved if governments and organizations start seeing young people for the unique population they are and addressing their needs accordingly. That means investing in youth-specific interventions but also supporting solutions created by young people themselves, experts, on the sidelines of the United Nations’ General Assembly on 18 September 2022, told a packed room.In New York City, the Clinton Global Initiative together with Fondation Botnar, convened a variety of leaders, advocates, and youth for 1.8 Billion Futures: How to Secure the Long-term Health and Well-Being of Adolescents and Young People Worldwide."The health and well-being of adolescents and youth is critical to achieving broader health equity,” explained Greg Milne, CEO of the Clinton Foundation.Adolescents currently make up a fifth of the population, equating to 1.8 billion people, and if leaders continue to neglect adolescents, the Sustain
At the Women Deliver 2023 conference that took place from 17-20 July in Kigali, Rwanda, the largest gathering on gender equality globally, PMNCH and partners ensured young people were at the center of pivotal conversations on gender equality, health and well-being. "Nobody can tell a story better than those who lived it," said Darshana Rijal, a Women Deliver young leader who spoke at a PMNCH event, encouraging leaders and decision-makers to prioritize the experiences of young people. Around the world, there are 1.8 billion young people, the largest number there has ever been. Yet it’s believed it’ll be over 130 years before gender equality is achieved, meaning that the young people of today will be held back because of inequity. Calling this a crisis, in the opening ceremony, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Chair of the Women Deliver board, stressed the need for everyone to stand up or risk being “doomed.” "The world has a crisis of leaders and young people must lead